CAROL MARINELLI - In the Italian's Bed - Bedded for Pleasure, Purchased for Pregnancy / The Italian's Ruthless Baby Bargain / The Italian Count's Defiant Bride

‘He warned you off me!’ Emma pointed out. ‘I only wish you’d listened at the time.’

‘He doesn’t want me to hurt you, Emma!’ His lips pouted and he blew her a mock kiss. ‘Which is why we’re getting engaged!’

‘Please!’

‘I’ve never made it official with a woman before…’ He smiled at the novelty of his own treachery. ‘It would go a long way to convincing him!’

‘He’d never believe it.’

‘You’re too modest!’ Zarios chided, his sardonic smile mocking her. ‘Why, you’re an excellent liar and a consummate actress, Emma! Personally, I’d never have taken you for a gold-digging whore!’

‘Bastard!’

‘Then we understand each other,’ he drawled. ‘You’ll have no problem convincing him.’

‘As if he’s going to accept that we’re suddenly together—’ Emma shook her head. His proposal was too preposterous for words.

‘Why wouldn’t he?’ Zarios interrupted. ‘We will tell him the truth. We met up again after many years at your father’s sixtieth birthday party and the attraction was immediate.’

Which was the truth, Emma conceded. But only so far!

‘With all that has happened to you recently, it is no wonder things have moved so quickly. Of course it was hard, ending things with Miranda, but my feelings for you…’ his eyes were black with malice ‘…were just impossible to ignore.’

‘Why?’ Emma blinked. ‘Why does it matter to you so much? You’re going to be rich either way…’

‘Honour,’ Zarios said. ‘Look it up in the dictionary when you get home. You might learn something!’

‘Honour amongst thieves, you mean!’ Emma responded. ‘You’re asking me to lie to your own father, remember.’

‘My father is too easily swayed by others—he has the Italian curse of worrying too much what others think.’

‘It must have skipped a generation.’

‘I have no…’ he snapped his fingers as he searched for the word ‘…no doubt.’ He shook his head, clearly not happy with his choice. ‘No guilt…’ Still he frowned.

‘No qualms.’ Emma stared coolly at him. ‘The word you’re looking for is qualms.’

‘It was the D’Amilo name that made our current directors rich, it is my acumen that has lined their pockets, and it is my brain that keeps it that way. I have no qualms about fighting for what is rightfully mine.’

‘Modest, too.’ Emma’s mouth twisted. She was way past even pretending to be polite now. She didn’t have time for this. There was no way she was going to agree, and there was no way he was going to lend her the money. She should never have come back!

‘I don’t believe in false modesty,’ Zarios continued. ‘I am the best—it is as simple as that.’

He sat down then, and stared at her as if commencing a business meeting.

‘I will transfer the funds you require into your account now; in return we will go to my father tonight and tell him of our plans.’

‘And what happens when your father realises it was just a charade?’ Emma asked scathingly.

‘Who said anything about a charade?’ Zarios frowned. ‘We will be engaged.’

‘But when it ends…’ Emma flailed.

‘It might not!’ Zarios just laughed at her confusion. ‘There is, after all, a high possibility we will get married!’

‘Married…’ She scooped up her bag. She had never heard anything more bizarre in her life. She loved Jake and would do anything to help him—well, almost anything—but a marriage of convenience with a snake like Zarios was way beyond the call of sisterly duty.

‘You’re hardly in a position to walk out,’ Zarios called to her departing back.

‘I’m in every position. You really think I’d marry you? After all you’ve done, the way you are, do you really think I’d want to be married to a man like you?’

‘I never said that you had to marry me.’

‘You just did.’ Her fingers were reaching for the door handle. She was in absolutely no mood to decipher one of Zarios’s cryptic messages—in no state to have her frayed emotions toyed with even for a little while longer.

‘If you would let me finish—you will see you do have an exit clause.’

‘An exit clause…’ She blinked in anger and frustration at his businesslike terms. His utter disregard for the sanctity of marriage had never been more evident.

‘Your parents’ insurance payout, the funds from their house—all are due for settlement around the same time as the board’s decision.’ Warily Emma nodded. ‘If you pay me back on the day you receive your inheritance you can walk away as soon as the board announces its decision.’

‘That’s all?’ Emma frowned, turning around to look at him. ‘I just have to pay you back?’

‘That’s it.’

‘But what about your father?’

‘I’ll worry about that.’

‘But it will devastate him…’

‘You have delusions of grandeur, Emma. I don’t think devastate is the word—I am sure we will all survive. Anyway, we are talking about a hypothetical situation—one I don’t believe will transpire. As I said, I have every reason to believe we will be married.’

‘Zarios, I will pay you back.’ She couldn’t really believe she was talking as if this was going to happen. ‘You know what I’m due to receive, and I always pay my debts…’

‘They are your debts?’

She swallowed, a dart of nervousness flashing in her eyes. Of course Jake would pay her back—she’d get it in writing this time, Emma decided. She’d get him to sign an agreement that he would pay her back in full on the day their parents’ inheritance came through.

‘You’ll get your money.’

‘We’ll see.’ Zarios smiled. ‘Until I do, you will be my fiancée. You will move in to my home so that I can take care of you—or rather deal with the press and the questions…’

‘I won’t…’ Emma flushed. ‘I mean, there’ll be no…’

‘I don’t understand what you are saying.’ He flashed her an innocent smile.

‘Oh, I think you do. I want to make it clear, very clear, that we won’t be sharing a bed.’

‘I think the cleaners might suspect something if my fiancée is sleeping in a separate bed. And, as I said, we will be at my father’s this weekend. He found out his son had lost virginity many years ago…’

‘Fine!’ Emma trilled, her face on fire. ‘But we won’t be sleeping together.’

‘You expect me to sleep on the floor.’

Bastard . The word hissed on her lips, but she swallowed it down. She knew he was goading her, knew he was going to make her say it—well, she would.

‘There will be no sex—and I want an assurance from you that there will be no pressure.’

‘Pressure?’ For the first time that day she heard Zarios laugh. He actually threw his head back and laughed at her statement. But Emma stood her ground.

‘You can add that to your precious clauses,’ Emma spat.

‘Why?’ He stood up and walked towards her. ‘Why waste my lawyer’s time getting him to write up a rule that is only going to be broken?’

‘It won’t be.’

‘And as for pressure…’ He wasn’t laughing now. ‘Be careful what you accuse me of, Emma.’

He was in her face now, so close she could smell him even as she backed further towards the door. His dangerous gaze held hers, black fading to indigo, just as it had on the morning he had saved her. Only now it felt as if she were drowning again—drowning in this man who could blind her to his faults. She dragged her eyes downwards, but there was no solace to be had there. His full mouth was moving in on her as he warned her to choose her words more carefully, as he made a mockery of the one rule she had insisted upon.